Conventional gaming headsets may incorporate signal modifiers to improve the game, microphone and chat sounds. For example, a bass boost may be used to increase the sonic realism of explosions in the game sound. Or a signal booster may be incorporated into the chat signal to amplify the voice level of other players so they can be more easily heard when the game sound increases in volume. These sound modifiers in conventional gaming headsets are typically implemented with fixed signal modifiers and therefore suffer from several shortcomings, including the inability to easily modify the parameter settings of the sound modifiers or to easily recall such modifications.
A typical “gaming headset” used with personal computers or game consoles, such as the Microsoft Xbox or Sony PlayStation, combines the game sound with the voices from other players and includes a boom microphone positioned near the player's mouth, allowing the user to chat with other players. This type of gaming headset lets players verbally interact with one another while listening to the game sound. Typically, three distinct audio paths are provided; one for the game sound, another for the chat sound, and another for the microphone sound. Each path requires different forms of signal processing to optimize their intelligibility. By changing parameters of these sound paths independently it is possible to enhance specific characteristics that are unique to each path, thereby achieving a better gaming experience.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,283,635 describes a headset with built-in memory to store parameter settings related to headset performance characteristics that can be measured during headset production and stored in the memory. A host adapter communicates with the headset through a serial communications port. This invention is intended to provide a more flexible design of headsets which allows for easily testing and quickly adjusting the individual performance characteristics of the headset, both during the manufacturing process and later throughout the life of the headset. The current invention is not intended to improve the manufacturability of the headset and is instead intended to modify discrete signal paths for improved performance during game play.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,202,927 and 4,731,850 describe programmable hearing aid systems. U.S. Pat. No. 5,202,927 incorporates a signal-processing circuit whose parameters are controlled wirelessly with an external keypad device so the user may adjust the hearing aid frequency response characteristics so it is better tailored to the person's hearing response. U.S. Pat. No. 4,731,850 describes a hearing aid that is programmable so as to have optimum electro acoustic characteristics. Parameter values of a programmable filter and amplitude limiter are programmed into EEPROM to allow the hearing aid to adjust automatically for optimum performance for speech, room reverberation and background noise. While these inventions allow modifying the characteristics of the hearing aid, they are meant to provide a means of adjusting the frequency response of the hearing aid so it better suits the user's ear characteristics. The present invention does not limit itself to the adjustment of frequency response for the purpose of tailoring the response to the characteristics of the listener's ear, but instead modifies the three sound paths in a gaming headset to improve the audio performance of the headset during game play.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,903,833 describes a programmable head-worn listening device that processes audio from microphones located on the ear cups to enhance the ability of a user to hear ambient sounds in different environments. The invention includes a programmable signal processor system to modify the microphone sound, but does not address the application of the current invention that applies to the processing of sounds specific to the gaming application of headsets.
US patent application US2008/0181424 describes a voice override an amplitude control system for an audio entertainment system that suppresses the music signal so that it may be overridden by a voice signal. The invention intended to be utilized as part of a public address system used for both music and voice communications. While prior art systems provided a means to allow the music signal to be abruptly overridden by the voice signal, the voice override circuit in U.S. Pat. No. 4,881,123 provides for a gradual attenuation of the music to a predetermined level by the voice signal and then the music signal gradually returning to its normal level upon termination of the voice signal. Again, the present invention differs from this invention because the game sound is not altered but rather the chat volume is increased.
As an example, since the headset covers both ears, it is difficult for the user to hear his own voice when speaking into the microphone, thereby causing him to speak louder than normal. Consequently, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,110,940, a portion of the microphone signal may be routed back to the headset speakers so the user can hear his voice while speaking into the microphone. Although it is desirable to adjust the level of microphone sound that is fed back to the speakers in this manner, it is cumbersome to do so because there is little room on the headset for a physical volume control to set this level. Therefore, this monitoring feature is typically implemented with a fixed volume level that may be either too soft or too loud for a particular user. It is not possible to adjust the microphone monitor level with an external personal computer and save it in the headset's local memory for easy recall by the user, thereby allowing a variable monitoring level to be achieved without the need for extra controls on the headset.
As a second example, the game sound heard in the headset will often exhibit a wide dynamic range whereby a low volume level can immediately increase to a loud volume level, for instance, when an explosion or other dynamic event occurs in the game. The loudness dynamics may be sustained for long periods of time, for instance during heated battle in an action game. As a consequence of this wide dynamic range, if the chat communication signals are set for a comfortable volume level during normal game passages, they cannot be heard over the loud game sound during louder game passages. Consequently, the user has to manually adjust the volume level of the chat signals to compensate for changes in the game level. To compensate for this, US 2010/0040240 describes how the chat voice level may be automatically increased as the game level increases so that the chat volume always remains above the game volume. In this instance, it is desirable to adjust the degree to which the chat volume increases in tandem with the game volume. However there is little room on the headset for adding the required parameter controls, so this gain boost parameter is often fixed and is not adjustable by the user. It is again not possible to adjust the gain boost setting as well as other related settings, such as the attack and release times, with a personal computer and save it in the headset's local memory for easy recall by the user, thereby allowing a customized boost feature to be achieved without the need for additional controls on the headset.
As a third example, the game sound may be processed by signal modifiers to make it more dynamic or realistic during the game. Enhancements such as bass boost, stereo expansion, and the like, can make the game sound more dramatic than the unprocessed game sound emanating from the console or personal computer. For example, in some games it is desirable to equalize the frequency response of the game audio to accentuate certain sounds in the game. The parameters for the signal modifiers are typically numerous and therefore cannot be adjusted with physical controls on the headset. Consequently, these parameters are often fixed and cannot be modified, other than turning the fixed values on or off with a simple button. It is not possible to adjust a plurality of signal modifier parameters with an external personal computer and save it in the headset's local memory for easy recall by the user, thereby allowing a large number of customized features to be implemented in the headset and easily controlled by the user.
As a fourth example, the game sound may sometimes reach unexpected loud crescendos that can potentially damage the hearing of the listener. Turning down the volume to compensate for the louder sounds makes it more difficult to hear softer sounds, and is therefore rarely done by the user. It would be therefore desirable to automatically limit the maximum volume of the headset to protect the user's hearing.
From these examples, it is apparent that many game sound parameters can be modified to improve the game experience, yet most gaming headsets do not allow the modification of parameters to adjust the sound. Even in the few cases where several parameters may be adjusted with physical controls, such as potentiometers, switches, and the like, each time the headset is used with a different game, or by a different user, the user must individually adjust these multiple parameters to his or her personal requirements or preferences. This method of adjustment makes it difficult to set the parameters desired by each user and to exactly replicate specific settings desired by the user.
Gaming headsets are used in different environments that require various settings of the sound modifier parameters. It is therefore desirable to provide an automated means of setting these parameters to process the game, voice and chat signal paths in ways that can improve the gaming experience. There are many different methods in which these signals may be processed, many of which will be described in this document. Each method of signal modification requires setting multiple parameters to control the specific effect.
There are several problems with the modification of a plurality of parameters.
One problem is that it is cumbersome for the user to set and adjust multiple parameters if the controls are located on the headset because of the number of controls and the awkwardness of manipulating controls located on the ear cups or on the connecting cable. In current manifestations of these headphones, several buttons and controls are placed on the ear cups, each controlling a specific parameter such as game volume, bass boost, and the like. Because of the limited space on a headset, the number and location of physical controls is very limited and therefore only a few parameters can be adjusted by the user.
Another problem is that the user cannot see the controls placed on the ear cups while wearing the headset, making it difficult to know which parameter is being changed when manipulating the controls.
Another problem is that it is difficult to adjust a plurality of parameter settings without a visual interface that presents all of the controls in a logical manner so they may be adjusted and saved for easy recall. The vast number of parameters that may be adjusted makes it impractical to provide hardware controls for setting the parameters. It would therefore be desirable to use computer software to view and control the parameters in a convenient and logical manner on a computer screen.
Another problem is that fixed hardware implementations of sound modification circuitry makes it difficult for the user to modify and replace the effects used for modifying the audio paths with custom variations that are desirable to the user. Instead, the user must settle for only those effects provided by the factory as defaults.
Another problem of fixed hardware implementations of sound modification circuitry is that it cannot be easily upgraded to new configurations. The fixed nature of the design inherently limits the ability to change signal routing and processing paths for improvements or changes to the original design.
When using a headset for personal computer games, it is possible to implement the sound modification system in software running on the personal computer. A problem with this implementation is that sound modification portion of the headset does not reside within the headset itself, but rather in the personal computer software. It is desirable to have the sound modification hardware and parameter settings for modifying the sound paths reside within the headset and not require an external computer system for modifying, saving and retrieving the settings. In this way, the sound modifiers become part of the headset and the user may use the same sound modifiers regardless of whether he is using the headset on his personal computer, a game console or the computer of another player.